Eros et L'Amour
by CJJJones
Summary: "I can't drug her," he thought "and make her fall in love with someone she doesn't truly love. I don't care about lost opportunities and the Dark Lord I won't do it. I love her."
1. The One with the Love Potion

Chapter One

The One with the Love Potion

Notes- This is the re-edited version of "Eros et L'Armour" although my French isn't perfect the title roughly translates as "lust and love" and it is meant to reflect a conflict between those who things, that's all I am saying. As always I own nothing except the plot all rights to JK Rowling and her publishers and the idea for the chapter titles came from "Friends". Love C.J.

"I don't care what your conscious says you stupid boy," Bellatrix Lestrange bawled at her nephew. "Do you think that any of the things that we would be counted moral by the ministry with it's blood traitors and mud bloods? We are authorized by the dark Lord who is above all their peddling laws."

"Okay I will go but I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it just do it!" she walked away muttering "idiot," under her breath.

"But do you trust Avery with this task?" Draco asked as she stood in the doorway about to leave the room.

"No," Bellatrix said "but he has Severus helping him even if it is from a distance but we need him somewhere else." She paused and looked straight at Draco with her dark piercing eyes. "The order nevertheless was from the dark lord himself and so you should count yourself lucky to be given a second chance after the last time." She said the last phrase rather darkly and Draco hung his head low. "You will go after midnight. Do you have the address?"

"Yes," Draco replied resigned to his fate.

"Draco," his aunt replied sternly "you have been given an opportunity to redeem yourself do you know how often that happens? She is only a mudblood. You are not even being asked to kill her." She swept away with a cloak swish worthy of Snape she stormed out the room.

"Draco," a dark voice said from the side of the room and mirroring Bellatrix, Avery walked slowly into the room "this is the potion your aunt asked for. It is dreadfully powerful you will only need a few drops." Draco smelt it before he corked the bottle the smell of coffee, citrus, new parchment and something that he couldn't quite place but that he really liked wafted through the room.

"Thank you," Draco replied dolefully.

"Malfoy I suggest you take this opportunity another one may not come along."

"I know," he said.

Draco had never gained is apparition license and it was something that annoyed him immensely he was dependent on broomsticks, and in this case a portkey.

The portkey was a book that Draco had seen several times in his library at home but never had the opportunity or inclination to read he looked at it now named "Metamorphoses" it was quite a thin book with a paper binding and a picture of a chubby infant flying over a ruined city with a bow and arrow in his hand. Draco realized mid way through staring at the book cover that he had disappeared from the manor to reappear on a dark alleyway in a big city. He hoped his was London he couldn't see any signs. He stumbled out of the alley blinded by the complete darkness when he saw a streetlight following it he could by it's dim flickering light make out the sign of Fishbone Alley.

The houses surrounding the alley were terraced houses from the late Victorian period that today where mostly modern flats. He located number 21 and using a knife is father had given him magically broken the lock. He quietly climbed the stairs heading towards flat D interrupted by a blonde girl at the door of flat C dropping her keys and swearing.

"Do you need a hand?" Draco asked in a kindly voice.

"No," she snapped back trying to disguise the tears on her face but only succeeding in smudging the mascara on her face further.

"Sorry," he said sarcastically "I was just trying to help."

"Well I don't need any help from you or any man," and with an effort she opens the door almost tripping over her high-heeled shoes piled on the other side of the door. The door of flat C slammed loudly and Draco found himself staring back toward the door of flat D. Using the knife again he slipped the door open and closed in slightly behind him he checked his pocket and felt the potion still there whispering a spell.

He felt a cold drip down himself as he camouflaged himself to the dark flat. He walked down the little corridor and saw doors on both sides he was unsure were Hermione's bedroom would be. The first door on the left found a large walk in wardrobe with just a few clothes in it. The next on the right was a bathroom then a kitchen and finally as he opened the door to the darkest room yet he heard the soft sounds of someone moving in their sleep.

"Lumos," he whispered and the light at the tip of his wand illuminated part of the room he saw the end of the large wooden bed and inching towards it Hermione came into view. Her brown bushy hair was loose on the pillow and she looked so peaceful asleep. At first he thought she had awakened because she shifted but it seemed a natural movement because her eyes never opened and her breathing continued deep and regular. He uncorked the bottle but as he went to place it to her lips he found he couldn't.

"I can't drug her," he thought "and make her fall in love with someone she doesn't truly love." I don't care about lost opportunities and the Dark Lord I won't do it. I love her." He looked at her soft hair, perfect features and the caramel eyes he knew where hid beneath her lids. Draco leaned it to her smelling that same smell the bottle had provided earlier that he hadn't quite been able to place but forgetting he was holding the potion he let it drop and it sounded with a loud smash on the bedroom floor.

"Nox," he whispered and the room slipped into complete darkness. Hermione awoke with a startle at the smashing sound and Draco took his chance she looked for perfect so vulnerable in that moment and although he knew he was invisible he felt her soft brown eyes bore into him.

"She can't know where I am," he thought but still she stared at him. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips softly at first and then more feverishly feeling her respond he pulled away and silently left the flat. Hearing the flick of a switch as he left the room he breathed a sigh of relief that he was invisible. Leaving the flat he rushed down the staircase only gazing upwards once to check if Hermione was following him. She wasn't.

The cold in the alley outside engulfed him as he swept into the London night. "Have you completed the task?" A cold voice asked from his left.

"Yes," he lied confidently.

"Good," came the reply from his aunt grabbing his hand they found them in the hallway of the cold manor. "I too have cursed her, an old ancient curse that they will struggle to find a cure to she will never find love. Many will admire her think her beautiful but none will fall in love with her."

Draco wondered why his aunt had not killed Hermione rather than toy with her but he dare not mention it in case she decided to do just that. His heart began to beat a little faster as the idea flew through his head. But his aunt walked away from him and Draco let out the breath he had not realized he had been holding.

"Perhaps the Dark Lord had decided to be merciful to you after the disaster on the end of last year."

"Disaster? You killed Dumbledore,"

"No," she snapped, "Snape killed Dumbledore and because of you our family name was dragged through the mud."

Eight months later Draco stood on that exact spot and watched his aunt die in front of his eyes. He made no attempt to help her indeed it was him who cast some of the spells the brought down the side of dark. He thought he actions had gone unnoticed but he was wrong one brown haired girl had seen him.


	2. The One with the Ginger Cake

Chapter Two

The One with the Ginger Cake

"So," Ginny Potter smiled at her best friend "any boy news?"

"Gin seriously I have nothing to tell I think someone likes me or is interested they might flirt or tell me I am pretty but when I discuss anything they say…"

"I don't look at you that way," Ginny finished for her "yes I know you've told me enough times."

"I am sick of boys who are friends I want a boyfriend I want someone to take notice of me. Oh why I am taking to you about this you've only been married a month what do you what to tell me I want everything."

"The sex is great," Ginny smiled enthusiastically.

"I lied," Hermione said in a shocked voice "I don't want to know everything in fact let's change the conversation topic. The weather has been rather nice." Ginny raised an eyebrow

"The weather?" she said "Hermione seriously anyway I thought that errr Peter Kain…Coomb…"

"Curn?"

"Yes that's it I thought he was coming in asking you about work a lot, flirting maybe there was something there."

"Yes he wanted information for the Department of mysteries,"

"Oh," Ginny said.

"Maybe I should give up," Hermione laughed, "become a nun or a mad cat woman." Ginny almost chocked on the biscuit she was eating as she began to laugh.

"Are you completely serious Hermione they are your options in life if you don't marry become a nun or a mad cat lady I thought you were more feminist than that. Besides you are only twenty three…"

"Twenty four next week," Hermione moaned.

"Of course," Ginny rolled her eyes "I forgot twenty four practically a pensioner." The two girls laughed but Hermione felt something cool slide into the pit of her stomach and she didn't like the feeling.

Later that evening she hummed along to a song on the radio as she was making up the spare room for one of her old muggle friends to visit in the following week. At one point she swore she could hear a noise but dismissed it the radio was on rather loud and she was in the next room. A few seconds later she heard a crash and rushing to the ground saw her cake tin that had been on the table on the floor the ginger cake inside splattered on the floor.

"Silencio," she whispered to the radio and the prattling of the presenter introducing the finical bulletin was cut short.

"I know your here," she said much more confidently than she felt. She pointed her wand in front of her as she was caught off guard by the sensation of cloth rubbing against her arm to her left. Despite of herself the sensation was unexpected and she let out a little shout of surprise.

"Are you sure?" said a voice, a voice that was not altogether unfamiliar but that despite that Hermione could not place it.

"Just get out of my house," she said her voice shaking a little as she almost frantically gestured around her to find the voice.

"Really?" It asked Hermione from behind her the man, she could recognize from the voice that it was a man, smelled of coffee. Coffee was normally a smell Hermione despised despite being a caffeine addict but for some reason she didn't dislike it on him.

"You?" she said wide-eyed "you came into my house a year ago you left a potion behind it was a love potion what are you trying to…" But she never finished the sentence because invisible lips smashed onto hers and he pulled her in with his hand on the small of her back. "And you did that," she smiled as they pulled apart. "But who are you?"

"I can't tell you," he said the voice low and as if he was disappointed in himself.

"Then you will have to leave," she said her heart plummeting "I cannot have an invisible man in my house who will not even tell me his name."

"Technically it's not a house it's a flat."

Hermione held out her hand to the man and felt his large hand encircle her smaller one as she walked with him to the door and then closed behind her. Her heart was beating heavily as she sat behind the door it had been so long since she had such a good kiss in fact she could still feel the impression of it on her lips. She tried after then to go to sleep but it took her hours and it was past 2 a.m. by the time sleep did claim her.

Draco sat on the outside of Flat C he could hear deep breathing on the other side of the door.

"Why?" he thought, "why did I go to her flat what did I think it would achieve?"

Hermione had occasionally occupied Draco's thoughts in the year they had not seen each other. Draco's family was disgraced after the downfall of the Dark Lord their property confiscated he worked in the apothecary in Diagon Alley making potions for sale never in the front room of the store. He had been hired purely on merit Draco was possibly the best potion master of his generation and when the owner of the apothecary had seen his skill he had been hired on the spot.

During his lunch break that day he had been crossing a busy Diagon Alley with a dark cloak over his shoulders and a hood to cover his face. Hermione was rushing down the street when he had spied her she was smiling to herself that was a rarity in itself most people walked down the street with a glum look on their face and head down. Hermione walked with her head up and a smile on her face. He glanced at her and his heart gave a little leap before he admonished himself. "I am an adult" he thought "I haven't seen her in a year how can she do that."

That evening in spite of himself he found himself standing outside her flat again and when she rushed past him he followed her in and stood in her kitchen camouflaged sat on the kitchen table as she hummed her way around the kitchen and bedrooms when she moved into a bedroom he went to follow her but kicked a chair which made a scuffed sound Hermione however seemed not to have noticed so he continued to follow her when he knocked a cake tin over.

"She'll definitely noticed that," he thought and so she had walking into he room with her wand pointed in front of her. Her face a picture of determination and fierceness touched with a little fear. Draco could not help but smile her face was so beautiful and stern in equal parts. Like a dragoness or a queen he almost laughed he really did but instead he held his tongue until the tension was too much.

"Are you sure?" He asked and cursed himself immediately the look on her face she had recognized his voice but she said nothing and he knew he had got away with it.

"Just get out of my house!" she cried fiercely but her voice wobbled a little in betrayal.

"Really?" he whispered in her ear and she looked so vulnerable in shock and surprise as the voice came from the area that she had doubtless not expected.

"You?" She said in surprise and Draco once again thought he was done for "she knows me" he thought, "she knows who I am."

"You came into my house years ago," and Draco's heart buoyed again as Hermione seemed to link him to the unknown person who had slunk into her room rather than the ruthless boy she had gone to school with. He took a chance as she again looking straight at him although she could not have known where he was and kissed her. It was like they were supposed to fit together and Draco ran his finger though her hair and pulled her into him and thought he felt her respond to him and she pushed her body against him. She did however seem to have more control than him and pushed him away stating without his name she would not let him stay.

So he was sat past midnight outside the door of flat C he hadn't heard any noises for about half an hour or so and pulling out a knife he slipped the lock and creeped back into the flat. Somewhere in his mind he knew it was a little strange but Hermione was like his drug he needed to be near her.

She sat half up in her bed with a little soft classical music playing from the radio beside her. She was not sleeping but faking it as she turned from side to side trying to sleep. He softly sat beside her and as she turned toward him she slipped her head into his lap without knowing it. He sat just watching her sleep until around 6am he crept away leaving her kissing her softly on the top of her head whispering softly in her ear.


	3. The one with the Cake Shop

Chapter Three

The One with the Cake Shop

Hermione entered Diagon Alley fairly early on Saturday morning Ginny Potter owned a bakery that started serving early in a morning and Hermione had offered to take a few shifts in place of Lucy Woods-Bell Ginny's business partner currently on maternity leave after having triplets a week ago.

"Morning," Ginny said brightly as she opened an oven door that smelled heavenly. "How are you?"

"Good," Hermione smiled "odd night I didn't get to sleep until 2ish but I slept like a log no idea why. Can I try one of those?" she asked Ginny pointing to the tray of Gingerbread cookies Ginny held.

"Yes but have the one on the far left it's a little wonky."

The shop opened a little after 8a.m. and was full very quickly, in a few short years Ginny and Lucy had made Weasley and Woods the by-word for excellent cooking in the wizarding world. By lunch Hermione wondered how Lucy and Ginny did this every day her legs ached and she had several little burns from the oven and baking trays. At lunch Harry and Ron popped in to see Ginny and Hermione, and in Hermione's opinion to mooch food after their third round of lemon cakes free of charge Ginny chased them out of the shop to make way to "her paying customers"'.

Hermione was grateful that the shop shut at 3pm and as Ginny closed the door behind the last customers both girls flopped into the chairs in the doorway but few seconds later a tapping came on the door. Ginny opened the door to

"Hi Draco,"

"Draco?" mouthed Hermione over her shoulder but Ginny battered it away.

"Here is your food," Ginny smiled "see you on Monday".

"Bye Mrs. Potter, Miss Granger," he nodded at both girls before rushing out the shop.

"Draco?" Hermione asked.

"He is a regular," Ginny shrugged "always takes a fair amount, pays and is like clockwork."

"Is he always late?"

"On a Saturday yes works at the apothecary they close the same time as us so he is usually ten minutes or so late."

"You know he helped us on the final battle," Hermione said in a low voice and at Ginny's face said "you didn't know I shouldn't have said anything."

"No no I did know," Ginny said hurriedly "I thought I was the only one though." The shop fell silent then for ten minutes as both girls got their breath back and sat thinking.

Hermione entered her flat smiling she had refused to take any money from Ginny and instead Ginny had insisted on giving her a box of vanilla cakes, some chocolate biscuits and some caramel shortbread, Hermione's favorite.

"Looks gorgeous," said a voice and Hermione dropped the box of biscuits, cake and shortbread.

"Sorry," he said and Hermione watched somewhat amused as shortbread and biscuits all flew in the air put themselves back in the box and then the box placed itself on the kitchen table.

"I don't suppose it is worth asking you who you are?" She asked.

"No," came the solemn voice.

"Well then I am afraid you know my answer."

Draco looked at her face and could not help think that her face was a little less stern than last time. He once again lent in to kiss her and they melted together he pulling her toward the bedroom as she began to unbutton his shirt rather hard when he was invisible.

An hour later an observer would have seen what looked like Hermione bare from the waist up and a funny shaped set of covers curled together.

"Please," she begged breathing a little heavily "won't you tell me who you are?"

"No," he replied not harshly or coldly but firmly.

"So," she said "this is the relationship that I am now in? Sex with an invisible man who I don't know the name of and will doubtless leave me one day."

"I can promise you once thing Hermione Granger," he pronounced her name as though he was eating the words "I will never leave you."

"But yes to the sex with an invisible man whose name I will never know."

"Well," he lent in kissing her as he stopped drawing patterns on her back "you didn't complain."

"No," she yawned, "I didn't," Draco spent most of the following night watching Hermione sleep. It took considerable effort and will to pull himself away from her around 6am as he headed back to his own house he took to his own bed falling asleep in seconds. Hermione woke up pulling the boy towards her finding only empty space she instead grabbed the pillow that now smelt of coffee.


	4. The One with the French Desk

Chapter Four 

The One with French desk

A week later Hermione stood over her little bureau, the desk was an antique in the French baroque style and had belonged to her Grandmother it was small and looked horridly overcrowded with papers, memos and notes. It was gone 11p.m. as the background noise the television played attested to. She searched through the notes trying to find the one note she needed to complete the report on her desk.

"Miss me?" A voice came from behind Hermione somewhere near her left shoulder she dropped the pile of letters rather loudly onto the wooden floor.

"Is that what you do?" she asked annoyed "have sex with women disappear and come back in time for another go when you are bored?" she asked loudly.

"I thought you recognized me."

"When?" she asked "and why are you so keen to be unseen?"

"I saw you and you saw me,"

"Do I know you in real life?"

"This is real life,"

"This is not real life," she shouted "this is a stupid game that we play to take away hurt and who knows what else. This is very definitely not real life."

"Then Miss. Granger," and he kissed her neck.

"No," she protested "I have work,"

"Really?" he asked her between kisses.

"Yes...work," she said feebly but soon surrendered.

An hour later they sat curled together on her bed.

"Why is that you won't tell me who you are?"

"I just can't Hermione please trust me,"

"I must know you or know of you."

"Please," he said, "please leave it," and kissed the top of her head "I love you," he whispered.

"How?" she laughed back "you don't know me."

"Yes I do. I have seen you laugh, frown, smile and love. I can't explain love if I could I would be a genius."

She rolled her eyes "we have just had sex it's hormones and your brain playing tricks."

"No," he pleaded, "no it isn't Hermione I love you."

"Then show me who you are,"

"I can't,"

"So you love your privacy more than me?"

"No it's just you wouldn't understand."

"You don't trust me how flattering," she said mockingly.

"Hermione is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she snapped "I'm fine," she got up walking to the bedside table poring herself a whiskey from a small bottle on the bedside table.

"Hermione?" He said softly.

"A man died today," she said quietly.

"At St. Mungo's?"

"Yes," she said as she slammed the glass down "on my watch I killed a man."

"Hermione you are a healer you cure people."

"And I didn't," she shouted "I let him die I just watched it," and he she began crying "I..let.."

But Draco had seen her face before she began crying and was so stood beside her and held her as she cried into his chest. He held her as she cried herself to sleep before placing softly on the bed.

Draco thoroughly intended to creep away early in the morning as he had done before. But this night sleep claimed him and the pair slept soundly.

Draco was awoken before Hermione, his own flat was quiet and dark in a morning but Hermione's instead was flooded with light through the cream curtains and the open window could hear the soft sound of birds. Hermione turned over looking to the clock on her mantelpiece 9.30 am she smiled she wasn't in St. Mungo's today so she did something she rarely did pulled the cover over her head, turned over and fell back to sleep.


	5. The One Without the Coffee

Chapter Five 

The One without the coffee

"How are you?" Draco asked Hermione the next night.

"Oh you?" She said unemotionally as she recognized the voice.

"Really Hermione," he said kissing her neck.

"Ummm," she said uninterested although she was feeling butterflies in her stomach leaving the bedroom for the en suite when she returned the room was pitch black.

"I can't see a thing," she said angrily then she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "There's something different," she said feeling the hand.

"I haven't got any magic on me," Hermione touched his arm and it felt different from before it had felt as though his arm was wrapped in liquid glass but now she felt his hand and it was like a normal hand sturdy and whole and it cupped her face it felt warm against her skin.

"I don't supposed it's worth asking you what you did today,"

"I went to work," Draco said in a bored tone.

"You don't like your job?" she asked.

"No…yes…well its complicated,"

"Then explain."

"Well I feel like that I hide in the backroom and never see people not just in work but in life that people use my work and services but never look at me."

"You're invisible," she laughed "how can people look at you?"

"I don't walk around in the day invisible."

"Well I can see you?"

"No you can't" he said crossly "that's the point of these silly curtains."

"No I can see you talk to you I know you're here," Draco turned away from Hermione and as he stood in front of the curtains holding the edge of the black curtains and Hermione thought for one moment that he was going to pull open the curtains but he turned around and sat on the bed and a dash of moonlight crept through the curtain Hermione saw an arm on the bed it was muscular and gave one the image that he was fairly tall. She instead cupped his face and felt stubble on his face for the first time.

For the first time the pair sat and talked although the responses on Draco's part where rather weak but Hermione chatted for the both of them about work, friends and school. When she woke up the next morning as usual the boy was not there but she felt as though she had spent an amazing night and knew him so much better although she could not name anything she knew about him. That smell of citrus that she had become used to still hung around the bedroom and for once she smiled as she dressed for work.

The next three months the boy visited almost every night sometimes he would be at her flat when she got back and other times he would turn up at any time before midnight. The rare night he didn't visit Hermione found herself waiting up to midnight before sleeping badly.

"What should I call you?" asked Hermione one evening as they lay curled together on her bed.

"I can't,"

"Oh relax I'm not asking you what you are called I am simply asking you what I should call you,"

"Errr Merlin," he said and Hermione scoffed. "What's wrong with that?"

"Well it's a bit presumptuous,"

"Of what?"

"Oh I don't know that you're the greatest wizard of your generation, of all time."

"I just like the name,"

"Yeah sure," Hermione smiled.

"Well what do you suggest?"

"L'armour,"

"Mmmmm," Draco mumbled thinking back to his rudimentary French. "Lust?" He asked finally.

"What are you suggesting?" She asked playfully hitting him on the arm "That's Eros. L'armour means complete love all encompassing Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere,Tristan and Isolde love."

"Hermione I have no idea who any of those people are but I'll settle for L as an initial that's it." Hermione smiled in the darkness she might not know the name of her mystery lover but she knew one thing about him and that was he was very stubborn.

"So come on," Hermione said sipping coffee at a muggle coffee shopping central London sat opposite Ginny who was drinking her juice, a rarity in itself Ginny was even more of a caffeine addict than Hermione herself.

"You sounded excited on the phone what's the news?"

"To be honest Hermione your powers of observation are losing it. I have been married seven months and I am not drinking coffee."

"Your pregnant!" Hermione cried.

"I thought you would have guessed Hermione you're normally so sharp your not distracted or anything are you? Not a boy?"

"Honestly Ginny one track mind,"

"Your not denying it," Ginny said sounding shocked and pleased.

"Well this boy we have hit something off,"

"From work?"

"No just ran into him," Hermione convinced herself she wasn't lying she just neglected to mention that she had ran into him in her own house in the middle of the night. "Enough about me how far gone are you?"

Sat absently on the muggle tube later that afternoon Hermione felt decidedly guilty not just about failing to let Ginny know the truth but she also realized for perhaps the first time that she was not being entirely sensible. She was having sex and, in spite of herself, falling in love with a boy whose name she didn't know let alone anything else about him. When Ginny had announced she was pregnant Hermione had also thought she hadn't used any protection magical or muggle, unless L had without her knowledge there was a very real chance she could be having a baby around the same time as Ginny.


	6. The One with the Muggle Testing Kit

Chapter Six

The One with the Muggle Testing Kit

She bought a muggle pregnancy kit on the walk from the tube stop to her flat. She heard a bump from the bedroom before she entered it and putting the kit hurriedly in the kitchen drawer she walked into the ever-black bedroom.

"Nice coffee?" asked the voice.

"Yes," she smiled "lovely news."

"Care to share it?"

"I'm sure you won't be bothered," she said pulling L's tie off.

"Hermione what's wrong?"

"Nothing,"

"Yes," he grabbed her shoulders and held her firmly "yes there is."

"Let's not have that conversation."

"What conversation?"

"How was your day?"

"Are you worried that we are developing a relationship? That you are developing feelings for me?"

"No that us not something I am worried about L because this is not a relationship. What do you want to do get married with a paper bag over your head? Have a baby and hope it doesn't have any of your features? I am not worried about this becoming a relationship because it never could be."

Draco put his hands on her face and felt tears on her cheeks more out of anger and fear than out of real upset.

He pulled her tight and Hermione smelled his citrus sent and got angry with him again

"Why is he always so calm?" she thought. It was another night where the pair just sat and talked until they fell asleep. Hermione must have been more tired than she thought as she fell asleep a little before nine o'clock and as so awoke at about five thirty. Light was beginning to stream through the very bottom of the heavy curtains and little patterns of sunlight made dances on the floor. It was not nearly light enough for Hermione to find her way to the door and she crashed into something more than once.

The clock on the oven indicated 9.03 pm which Hermione estimated made it about 5.20 am, she had never set the time correctly on the oven having little understanding of mechanical devices. Opening the top drawer on the kitchen she saw in little white paper bag pulling out the kit she took it into the bathroom and sat watching it as though it was a bomb when a minute had passed she stared at the line and her heart jumped. It was negative.

"I am such an idiot," she thought "why did I even put myself in that position?"

She walked back into the bedroom and the sunlight had moved itself across the floor. As she slipped into the bed she felt an arm snaking across her pillow. Which was a rarity any other time she had got up in the night he was always gone. She felt his arm against her back and felt along his chest and up his neck to his face feeling his high cheekbones little stubble and short hair. She was hit with a curiosity to know who he was much more than she had before.

Standing up she held her hands to the dark curtains and pulled them apart. The bright sunlight flooded the bedroom illuminating it from the vase of pink roses on her bedside table to the small bookcase in the corner to the large armchair and the little desk crowded with papers. It was the bed that it fell last on to. Hermione looked at the beautiful face lay beside her. She did know him. She knew him very well. She knew the person who had teased, mocked and ridiculed her for years. She could not equate it with this silent, sleeping man in her bed.

"Draco?" She whispered.

"What's going on?" said a groggy voice beside her "Hermione?"

Hermione looked at his face as he realised what had happened and she regretted opening the curtains. Not because she had found out who L was she didn't care about that. In the last few months much worse had gone through her mind. She regretted it because of his face he looked so sad so disappointed with her. He stood up and before Hermione could realise what was happening he disappeared with a loud pop

"No Draco," she shouted leaning forward trying to grab him but finding just thin air.

Draco found himself standing in his own kitchen. His flat was somewhere he seriously disliked after Hermione's place even with the dark curtains he had fallen in love with living with her.

"But she didn't reciprocate," he thought "she can't, she doesn't trust me she opened the curtains." He put his head in his hands. "How could someone so good and beautiful choose me tainted with evil?"

Draco tried but couldn't go to sleep he instead he ate breakfast read books and tried everything to keep Hermione off his mind.

Eventually at just gone eight he headed to work early.

"Morning Draco," said Quintus Brightman the owner of the apothecary rather warmly.

"Are you ill?" Draco asked seriously.

"No why?" Quintus asked confused.

"Because you sound cheerful and normally you're about as happy as a funeral director."

Draco ignored Quintus' claims that he wasn't a doleful person and he entered his little study. Closing the door he hung up his robes and rolled up his sleeves.

"I guess it's my turn to be invisible," Hermione's voice came out the air causing Draco to drop the bottle of lemon juice he was carrying. It smashed on the floor and the lovely lemon scent hit Hermione as she began to become more visible.

"What do you want Hermione?" Draco asked exasperated. She pulled his face towards her.

"I want you," Draco pushed her away.

"No you don't," he replied firmly.

"Are you going to tell me what I do and do not want?" she asked, "I am not a child."

"You deserve someone that you can walk down the street with, that your family will like, that your friends get on with."

"I know what I want, my parents will love you, my friends will live and I really could not care less who looked at us as we walk around the street. Please don't tell me what this whole thing was about."

Draco looked away refusing to answer her or met her eyes.

"It was wasn't it? You hid yourself from me because you don't want people to look at you. You loved people staring at you at school."

"It was a fling Hermione it was fun but..."

"I love you," she whispered and he picked her up.

"Good because I was talking complete rubbish I love you too."

They kissed and Hermione found knowing who she was kissing if anything made it more amazing than before.


	7. The One with the homemade breakfast

Epilogue

The One with the Home made breakfast

Hermione stretched cat-like in her large bed yawning as she did so. She went to grab the person who should have been lying next to her but felt nothing but air. The pillow however still carried its usual coffee smell that she associated with her husband.

"Husband," she thought thinking the word over in her head she had been married five years but the word still felt odd sometimes. She had lost count of the times she had called him her boyfriend particularly in their first year of marriage. Following her nose she left the bed a smell of cooking wafted from the large kitchen that dominated the flat the Malfoy's shared.

"Something smells good," she croaked her voice unused Draco was beside her in a second.

"Are you ok? Do you have a cold? How is your stomach?" Hermione took a large gulp of orange juice.

"I am fine," she replied almost angrily Draco was sometimes too over protective.

"Don't look at me like that Hermione you are eight months pregnant,"

"I know," she said balancing her empty glass on her stomach behind Draco's back. "You reminded me yesterday and somehow I didn't forget overnight."

"Very funny," he snapped.

"What are you looking for?" Hermione asked after watching him search the cupboards for at least ten minutes.

"Cream cheese for your omelets,"

"Don't bother it made me feel queasy last time I had it."

"Oh," he said, "there you are."

"Thanks," Hermione replied attacking the omelets with gusto.

"Hey little man," Draco said spotting a small figure behind Hermione. A pudgy infant hand wiped a face that can only have belonged to a child of Draco Malfoy's. He had his father's light hair and face shape but he had his mother's temperament.

"Mum!" The little boy shouted at his mother holding out his hands as his father picked him up and placed him on the breakfast counter.

"Hello Marcus," Hermione said to the little boy sat opposite her. Marcus Draco Malfoy was three years old and just entering the age of exploring the world around him he was a curious little boy and had more than one bump to prove it.

"Is mummy going to have a boy or a girl?" Draco asked his son.

"Boy," Marcus said determinately. Hermione smiled at her son and husband who were giving her the same smile. Marcus wanted a little brother and Draco had been convinced that Marcus was going to be a boy which in his mind made him an expert on telling unborn babies' gender. Hermione smiled to herself she wasn't sure but she thought they might be disappointed on the day. Hermione had a feeling she was having a girl.

"Right," she smiled at them after a minute of contemplation "Can you remember what we are doing today?"

"Zoo," the pair said simultaneously and Hermione smiled her son and husband where so alike sometimes. She shook her head at them as she pulled her hair into a messy bun. She looked her at her son and husband and like so many times before she wondered what had happened if Draco had decided to drug her. But then she looked at him now tickling their son and for the umpteenth time knew that he couldn't do it he already loved her and she for better or for worse would always be his.

Notes: Thank you very much for following this all the way to the end the story is loosely based on the classical "Cupid and Psyche". To follow the story on I saw Draco and Hermione in this story with three children: Marcus (who we've just met), Devon (yes Hermione was right it was a girl) and Alexander (the only gryffindor of the three).

Please review I LOVE reviews, love it, hate it tell me.


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